Buliisa seeks eight acres for museum as oil exploration winds down

Buliisa: Buliisa District Local Government is seeking eight acres of land for the establishment of a museum aimed at preserving the area’s history and boosting tourism and revenue generation beyond oil exploration.

Wandera Atuhaire Twairi, the district LCV Chairperson, revealed this during an inspection of the ongoing construction of Biiso War Memorial Business Park in Biiso Town Council.

Wandera said efforts to secure community land in lower Buliisa for the proposed museum had not yielded results, while the district lacked funds to purchase the required land.

He said the district was engaging oil companies operating in the area to support the project as part of their corporate social responsibility, noting that the museum would remain a source of revenue even after the companies complete their oil exploration activities.

“We are engaging the oil companies to help us establish the museum as part of their corporate social responsibility,” Wandera said.

The district council had earlier resolved to establish the museum in Buliisa Town Council because of its central location and the impact of oil activities on the area.

However, district council Speaker Gilbert Kalibagwa said the available land was insufficient for the proposed facility.

Kalibagwa added that some community members had raised concerns about ownership of the museum and who would collect the revenue generated from it before they could agree to donate land.

In response, Wandera explained that the museum would be owned by the central government.

Stephen Biraahwa Mukitale, a member of the National Planning Authority and former Buliisa County Member of Parliament, said the district should benefit from the revenue generated by the museum, similar to the revenue-sharing arrangement used by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Biraahwa, who is funding the construction of Biiso War Memorial Business Park, also suggested that other lower local governments, including Biiso, Ngwedo and Kigwera sub-counties, consider offering land for the project.

He said establishing the museum near the planned Biiso War Memorial Stadium would create an opportunity to develop the area into a heritage and tourism destination.

Birahwa offered to provide the eight acres required for the museum if the district fails to secure land elsewhere.

He encouraged district leaders to continue engaging oil companies to support the project, suggesting that additional land could be procured in Kijangi or Nyapea cells.

“If the district fails to secure the land, the district speaker should convene an extraordinary council meeting to resolve that the museum be established in Biiso, and I will offer the land,” Biraahwa said.

Wandera welcomed the offer, saying the matter would be presented to the district council for a final resolution.

The proposed museum is expected to preserve Buliisa’s heritage while supporting tourism and providing an additional source of revenue for the district and the country.

Meanwhile, Stephen Birahwa Mukitale, Member of the National Planning Authority, has challenged the Bagungu and Banyoro to invest in their home region instead of concentrating their businesses and investments in other parts of the country.

Birahwa made the remarks in an interview with this publication after inspecting the construction of the Biiso War Memorial Business Park in Biiso Town Council, Buliisa District.

He said many people from Bunyoro are investing in other regions while their home areas remain underdeveloped.

Birahwa applauded those who have already invested in their home areas and urged Banyoro living in the diaspora to consider investing back home, saying such investments would create jobs and stimulate economic development in the region.

He also called for greater cooperation between people living in Bunyoro and those in the diaspora, noting that those living outside the region could support local development through investments and other initiatives.

Birahwa said limited collaboration between the people at home and those in the diaspora was hindering development in Bunyoro.

The Biiso War Memorial Business Park is expected to feature more than 960 shops, a livestock market, a lorry park, a taxi park, 240 rental rooms, lock-ups, electronic shops, stationery stores, garages and a fish market, among other facilities.

Birahwa, who represented Buliisa County in Parliament from 2006 to 2021, said the project is intended to economically empower the local community by creating jobs, expanding business opportunities and stimulating development in the area.

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